Recipe of the day: Cheesy beef quesadillas

These cheesy beef quesadillas are super quick and easy to prepare, and make for the perfect lazy Friday night meal to enjoy with your loved ones.

We have added a delicious vegetable quesadilla recipe for all the vegetarians who would love to indulge in this popular Mexican dish for dinner tonight.

Make sure you have enough ingredients to make these quesadillas for a midday snack for your family tomorrow, or as one of your finger food items for your weekend lunch or dinner parties.

Cheesy beef quesadillas

Ingredients

• 500g ground beef
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 avocados, pitted and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoon canola oil, divided
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 226g shredded white Cheddar
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Sour cream, for serving

ALSO READ: Recipe of the day: pulled pork quesadilla’s

Instructions

1. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté with garlic and onion until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add taco seasoning, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon water and black beans; cook on medium-low for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in avocado and cilantro.
2. Warm a large non-stick pan over medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil. Place a flour tortilla in the pan and sprinkle half with cheese, beef mixture and more cheese. Fold tortilla over and fry lightly on both sides until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To save time, use two non-stick pans.
3. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

This recipe was found on delish.com

Veggie quesadillas

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced into cubes
• 2–3 cups chopped veggies (I used bell pepper, red onion and corn)
• 1 small jalapeño, cored and finely diced
• 1 can pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder)
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
• 4–6 large flour tortillas
• 3–4 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• dipping options: your favourite salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick sauté pan. Add sweet potato and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Transfer to a separate plate and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the veggies and jalapeño, and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the cooked sweet potato, black beans, cumin, chili powder, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Taste and add more salt, pepper and/or cumin if needed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Rinse (or just wipe off) the sauté pan until it is clean.
3. Return the sauté pan to the stove, and reduce heat to medium.  Place a tortilla* in the center of the pan and immediately sprinkle your desired amount of cheese evenly over the surface of the tortilla. Add a few large spoonful’s (about 1 cup) of the veggie mixture on one half of the tortilla, then sprinkle on some cilantro. Fold the other side of the tortilla over to create a half moon.  Continue cooking for another 30 seconds or so, or until the bottom of the tortilla is crisp and golden. Just lift it up and take a peek to see when it’s ready to go. Then carefully flip the tortilla over and cook it for an additional 30-60 seconds on the second side.
4. Transfer to a serving plate*, slice into triangles, then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
5. Serve warm, along with your favourite salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream for dipping.

This recipe was found on gimmesomeoven.com